Thursday, October 25, 2007

how knowledge works

just wanna type this down before i forget (again). my recent ruminations considering the slippery subject of 'knowledge'.

knowledge, often casually defined as true beliefs, can be purely psychological, but is also undeniably impactful on social relations. hence, there is a sociology of knowledge, built upon some fundamental philosophical understanding of the definition of knowledge.

let's charter the course of knowledge across a social structure. knowledge almost always comes from the particular; i.e. it is created and first encountered at the individual (or agent) level. here, it already has immense potential to shape that individual's reality (and consequently the social reality of those around him/er) even before it is transmitted. within the agent, knowledge can produce manifold psychological impacts - justifying one's actions, inciting one to act, igniting various passions and emotions, impeding an ongoing action, or even just creating interest. of course, trivia (as a form of knowledge) can be of near-zero impact, but generally speaking, the agent's contact with knowledge preempts, and is causative of, action and change.

here, we also already have a layer of interpretation. when any raw data is first imputed to any individual, there may be some knee-jerk responses (especially sense-data of particular jarring nature). these would tend to be labelled information rather than knowledge. the key difference being that knowledge requires some "personal consideration" or interpretation of that information's significance, some level of decoding so that the data is useful rather than "noise". at this level of interpretation, it is already apparent that how a person interprets depends much on his/er prior socialisation and disposition. depending on which cipher one uses, information can decode into vastly different knowledge, and thus lead to drastically different action. yet, this layer of socially-assisted decoding is not purely undirected - the agent is capable of moulding both the cipher he learns and the cipher he wishes to use; apart from choosing what action to take subsequently. the agent thus is an active (and creative) moulder of knowledge.

nextly, things get exciting: the agent is never alone. knowledge gets passed on from agent to agent, both actively and passively. one may choose to transmit one's honest interpretation of some knowledge, or choose to embellish it, or choose to omit/distort parts of knowledge. he may do this in full knowledge of the receiving end's cipher (hence actively shaping the receiver's interpretation) or he may do this hoping to shape the receiver. there may be any number of other intentions for the transmitter at this point - it only depends on one's creativity.

the receiver, of course, is far from unfiltered. she has her own layer of interpretation, her own ciphers to choose from, and her own moulding to participate in. subsequently, she has her own psychological space within which to react to this received knowledge - which may result in further interpretations or tranmissions.

individuals are up till now, assumed to function independently. however, that may of course, not be the case. groups of individuals may choose to interpret knowledge together, consolidating everyone's ciphers and resulting in greater permutations of interpretation. however, the net interpretation may not be completely received by all in that group - the subsequent absorption is more than often differentiated. these groups may also disseminate knowledge as one - both allowing a new entity to assume various responsibilities while allowing the composite individuals to diffuse theirs. as a loose affiliation, dissemination may often be less detailed than transmission, and such knowledge may also contain more interpretations.

these loose affiliations may be coordinated in hierarchies - thus becoming an organisation. here, we can talk about information flowing through various branches of said organisation - but what is often neglected is the grouped interpretation and individual interpretation concurrently going on when information reaches any subordinate entity. depending on how the ciphers are socialised throughout this hierarchy, decoding may be selective and uncontrolled - the net interpretation of such a structure is almost always greater than that allowed for by a single cipher, owing to the individual creativity of each agent and group. there may be both apparent interpretations and (perhaps multiple) latent interpretations of the same knowledge disseminated across such hierarchical organisations. control of information flow is never a guarantee of control over interpretation; hence subsequent actions may vary widely.

not all organisations are coordinated through hierarchies, however. some do not attempt to control information or interpretation, perhaps tacitly admitting to the ability of creativity to thwart these efforts. such networks may spontaneously generate ever increasing amounts of knowledge, often in uncontrolled amounts, yet still encapsulated in a form acceptable for interpretation. here, even though the mode of transmission is uncontrolled, standards of interpretation may spring up, either from a need for mutual understanding (which requires some standardisation, and thus control, of interpretation). of course, standardised interpretation is still not guaranteed to spontaneously emerge from such loose networks, although it generally has to happen if the network is to continue functioning as a disseminator and interpretor of knowledge.

the two (ideal) types of meta-groups described above are of course by no means exhaustive. but both demonstrate the ability of larger social groups with varying levels of coordination to further interpret and disseminate knowledge. thus, at the societal level, knowledge may be interpreted any multitude of times before the next entity encounters it - and adds her own interpretation to the mix.

questions:
- can society spontaneously create knowledge above and beyond its composite agents?
- could such creative non-human entities thus be said to have a conscious will?
- which steps should the process of 'translation' encompass?
- what other types of processes can be described? how useful are these ideal types?

notes:
- need to differentiate raw information from processed knowledge
- account for integrity of information/knowledge within great multiplicities of interpretation.
- account for different intentions and their effects on transmission.
- relate this mapping to creation of reality.

there. just a rough draft. for sc4209.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

"Everything" video on GodTube

some people were sharing this video kind of a while back... just thought i'd revive it a little. it's a very re-enact-able skit for any ministry - well worth considering!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

gerg, the gay supporter

i just signed a petition to the prime minister supporting the repeal of the infamous statute 377A. did i turn gay? whoa... of course not! in fact, sad to say, i still consider myself to be somewhat of a homophobe... i'm cautious around gays, inclined side with homophobic language, and highly uncomfortable with discussing gay sexuality (talking about lesbians is fine tho).

of course, the main issue here is:
how can i support the repeal of an anti-homosexual act law as a Catholic?

that's the point worth discussing in this post. i shall start by mentioning what i consider the proper stand a Catholic should take on the issue of homosexuality:
  • identifying oneself as gay; i.e. that a male is sexually attracted to other males, is not in itself sinful - just as a sex maniac is not sinning until he acts. this does not exclude lustful thoughts, of course! thus, a gay man who lusts after a man is as sinful as a heterosexual man lusting after a woman.

  • the act of anal penetration (or to use an archaic term, sodomy) is, however, condemned by the Catholic church as a "transgression of nature". God Himself is demonstrated as offended by such acts (the word 'sodomy' stems from Sodom and Gomorrah, cities said to commit such acts in mass orgies), thus it is a safe bet for Catholics to steer clear of such sex acts (even if it is heterosexual). here, i would like to compare the much more 'acceptable' act of masturbation: the two are probably equally detestable in God's eyes.

  • "Love thy neighbour as thyself." (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 5:43. 19:19. 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14, 1John 4:7. 11, James 2:8) is the one law which sums up one's faithfulness to God. John the Evangelist says it the best: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." these words of God clearly tell us how we ought poise ourselves for our homosexual brethren - the same way we treat any other sinner, with love and acceptance.
now that the stand is clarified, the next question comes:
how does repealing 377A support that stand in any way?

here, i shall simply paste the comments i added to my petition... do read on:
I am a practicing Catholic and I continue to believe that homosexual acts are against the natural order and offends God. However, God did give us the freedom to make our own choices, whether to commit sins or not. Among the many sinful choices which the Law punishes, I would consider 377A to be excessive - the Law does not punish people who masturbate, does it?

Decriminalisation, however liberal it may seem, however it may imply homosexuality as acceptable, remains the only fair way forward, as particularly poignantly laid out in Para 5. I do not think conservatives wanting to keep an old law simply because it seems "too progressive" can be considered reasonable; neither can Catholics be considered good Catholics if they choose to support such an oppressive law as their preferred method of serving our homosexual brothers.
further to those comments, i believe that leaning on the power of a secular court to deal with homosexual acts usually only leads to either, i) over-punishment, ostracism and stigmatisation, or ii) apathy due to non-prosecution. the latter is what seems the trend today - and while it makes a mockery of the legal system, it also insulates Catholics: non-visible homosexuality = no need to care about them or talk to them. for us practicing Catholics, s377A only either torments our lost brothers, or keeps us in an impenetrable "comfort zone" of ignorance and inaction.

an additional point to note is this: our more fundamentalist Christian brothers may be far more intolerant and oppressive in their gay ministries, employing peer pressure and guilt rather than Christ's way of gentle compassion - inviting conversion as a response to love. the result is their disillusionment with the church and often outright rejection of Christ himself. if us Catholics remain entrenched in our "comfort zones", Christ's ministry suffers! (this is not meant to diss Protestant efforts to reach out to gays: at least they try.)

the way to approach gays, for us as Catholics, must be the same approach we endorse with all other sinners (genocidal murderers, incestuous paedophiles, corrupt politicians, money-worshipping idolators; your brothers and sisters): the way Christ moved the world by becoming the Lamb led to the slaughter. we must put our lives on the line to listen to our brothers and be a channel of God's grace for them instead of merely relying on punitive laws. that is why i signed the petition - as a commitment to loving my gay brothers.

i shall end off sharing this hymn - note the irony!

God Is Love
Love it was that made us and it was love that saved us.
Love was God's plan. When he made man; God's divine nature is love.
Born of God's love we must love Him, that's why He made us to love Him;
But only when we love all men can we partake of God's love.
But only when we love all men can we partake of God's love.

Love is a wonderful thing, joy in our hearts it will bring.
Where there's true love there is God and where there's God there is love.

Christ said: "Love must be the sign by which men will know you from Mine.
A new commandment I give: each other love as I did."

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

quoteses!

found a nice page with some great quotes (while searching for that first one on the list)... just share a few with you:
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
- Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
"Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo."
- H. G. Wells (1866-1946)

"Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever."
- Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

"Don't be so humble - you are not that great."
- Golda Meir (1898-1978) to a visiting diplomat

"Political correctness is tyranny with manners."
- Charlton Heston (1924-)

"Give me chastity and continence, but not yet."
- Saint Augustine (354-430)

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."
- Galileo Galilei

"The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work."
- Emile Zola (1840-1902)

"The full use of your powers along lines of excellence."
- definition of "happiness" by John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is."
- Yogi Berra

"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."
- Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
- Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

"Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right."
- Henry Ford (1863-1947)

"Do, or do not. There is no 'try'."
- Yoda ('The Empire Strikes Back')

"I don't know why we are here, but I'm pretty sure that it is not in order to enjoy ourselves."
- Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951)

"There are no facts, only interpretations."
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
- Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

"Dancing is silent poetry."
- Simonides (556-468bc)

"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
- Plato (427-347 B.C.)

"The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don't have it."
- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

"Whenever I climb I am followed by a dog called 'Ego'."
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
- Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

"Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe."
- H. G. Wells (1866-1946)

"Talent does what it can; genius does what it must."
- Edward George Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873)

"The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'."
- unknown

"Women might be able to fake orgasms. But men can fake a whole relationship."
- Sharon Stone

"If you are going through hell, keep going."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

"He who has a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'."
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

"Many wealthy people are little more than janitors of their possessions."
- Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959)

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."
- Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

"God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh."
- Voltaire (1694-1778)

"I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them."
- Ian L. Fleming (1908-1964)

"Facts are the enemy of truth."
- Don Quixote - "Man of La Mancha"

"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world."
- George Washington Carver (1864-1943)

"How wrong it is for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than to create it herself."
- Anais Nin (1903-1977)

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
- Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)

"There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it."
- Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
whoops. that's quite a long list huh? well the whole page is way longer... go read if u have the time =) btw, i also have some of my own quotes somewhere on this page...